


Not a Cat Person

by Turn_of_the_Sonic_Screw



Series: February Ficlet Challenge 2021 [10]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: Cheetah Virus (Doctor Who), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Gen, Nonverbal Communication
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 11:48:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29349957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Turn_of_the_Sonic_Screw/pseuds/Turn_of_the_Sonic_Screw
Summary: Our heroes discuss the lingering effects of the Cheetah virus on Ace.Pairing: Seventh Doctor/Ace McShanePrompt: Viral
Relationships: Seventh Doctor & Ace McShane, Seventh Doctor/Ace McShane
Series: February Ficlet Challenge 2021 [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2141604
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11
Collections: February Ficlet Challenge 2021: Apocalypse No





	Not a Cat Person

It isn’t often, not anymore. The passage of time and the ebb of teenage hormones seem to have made controlling herself easier. But when she was confronted with the deliberate stupidity of the bureaucrat she was trying to pump for information about a string of disappearances… Well, if the flash of fear across his obstinate features was anything to go by, it was a good thing for the miserable jobsworth that the Doctor had arrived when he did. 

A simple tap on the shoulder, and that was it. “Thanks, Professor,” she murmured. “I was about to go viral on his useless hide.”

“An observation which would have a very different meaning only a few decades after your time,” the Doctor mused, then he shook his head. “I apologize for my digression. Are you well, Ace?” He waited a beat, then appended: “Take your time.”

Ace nodded, and glanced down at her hands - no fur or claws. Good. Though that raised a new question. “Doctor,” she asked as she nonchalantly scratched her nose, “will there be security footage of me?” 

“I expect not, Ace,” the Doctor replied, primly tucking the sonic screwdriver back into the inside pocket of his jacket. 

“In that case, I reckon I’m sorted.” She blew out a breath. “No closer to finding those missing people, though. Wish I wasn’t a rubbish human who - oh, by the way - sometimes gets a little furry. Two Time Lords would’ve had this cracked by now.”

“I rather doubt that, Ace,” the Doctor began.

“If you’re going to say something about how my human brain is refreshingly simple, you can stow it,” Ace cautioned him. 

“Mm.” The Doctor’s hum neither confirmed nor denied that he had had such a thought. Sneaky bastard, Ace thought. “I think your response proves your value. Even in a heightened emotional state, you were able to predict a plausible course of action for me, whereas I was unable to do the same for you. Time Lords - even a renegade such as I - have the same upbringing, the same schooling. As such, our minds tend to run along similar paths.” He turned to face Ace, clapping his hands on her arms, stopping their progress. “I don’t need another me, Ace. I need _you_. Flaws and all.”

“You mean it?” The Doctor nodded in response. Ace managed a self-deprecatory laugh. “Best news I’ve heard all day.” A muscle near the Doctor’s mouth twitched almost imperceptibly and his gaze left hers. Oh no, she thought. “You’ve found a lead and it isn’t pleasant.”

“On the positive side,” he gestured cheerily with his umbrella, “the pungent reek of the sewers will provide you with ample incentive to stifle the heightened senses associated with the Cheetah virus!”


End file.
